Even Through the Night
by Trupana
Summary: He was the merely the Okashira to her, her distant, cold captor. But one accident, one night, changed the way they viewed each other forever...Aoshi-Megumi
1. Prelude

He fell to the ground, hand clutching his right arm, as a fountain of crimson sprayed out in a graceful arc, like a rain of blood, from between the fingers.

            A metal cone buried itself into a tree behind him, but not before leaving a train of red droplets in its wake.

           The girl was hidden by the shadow of the brush, beside the tree still vibrating with the fierce force of the bullet's blow.  She had seen the dart, glinting with cold moonlight, aimed straight for her.  She had seen the wide, crazed grin of the man who launched the bullet, teeth bared in the light of the full moon, and she had run, knowing in her heart that she would not be able to flee from its promise of death.  

All sound had been drowned out save the growing, harsh whistle of the speeding metal cone and the dull pounding of her fluttering heart; but through the hallucinatory haze, she dreamt that she heard the impenetrably cold, famously impassive _okashira_'s voice pierce the fog around her with suddenly passionate and furiously angry words towards the sender of the dart, his voice shaking with unmistakable fervor and ferocity at his subordinate's actions—but she had not been able to tell, past caring, past understanding, staring death in its eye…

            She had seen the one called Hannya step in front of the bullet for no reason whatsoever, take the hit, and deflect the bullet aimed for her heart to the heart of the tree next to her.

            From her place in the darkness, she could see the young _okashira catch the older man in his arms before the man hit the ground, his long, cream coat whipping in an arc in the biting wind.  He fell heavily to the ground as Hannya collided his strong arms, dropping to his knees on the cold dirt and supporting the older man up against his chest.  Even from the distance, she could see his tormented eyes widen, a hint of blue spreading through the typical green; not the icy sharp blue that usually pervaded his biting green stare, but a smoky blue, a shade nearly matching the ocean in its troubled depths.  He held the older man close in his arms as he would have a dying father on a battlefield.  His mouth hung slightly open in a stunned silence.  _

The sudden shocked silence around them burst into flames of hysteria.

            "Hannya!  That broad…I'll kill her, kill her!" screeched the man who had flicked the bullet—Beshimi, from what she had gathered—his psychopathic grin replaced with wild flickering of the eyes and bared canines, "It was not meant for you, why did you get in the way…why…why …Hannya…"  

The man with hair falling down his back and scars crossing his body fell to his knees with a heavy thud next to his ball-and-chain weapon, and with one heartrending groan, pounded his steely fists to the ground in sorrowful anger.  As the ground shook, the large firebreather gave a low, ghostly wail that echoed mournfully through the forest.  The _okashira__ sat with the man in his arms, stiff as a statue of ice, frozen in a horrible moment of time that wouldn't move on... _

            It was the perfect time to run.  The henchmen were crowded around their stunned _okashira and fallen comrade, too distraught and agitated to notice her—and God knew she had learned to escape silently and quickly after being captive so long! But, yet..._

            Her feet would not move.  As much as she willed them to go, to leave before she was enslaved again, or even killed, she was rooted the her spot, unable to turn her eyes away from the tableau unfolding before her eyes:  

The man, the only one who had bothered to address her courteously and talk to her at times, the only man who had silently guarded her door at night to prevent any of Kanryuu's wretched band of ruffian-guards from touching her, who now lay on the ground, breathing heavily, eyes dilated and body going stiff with the poison of the metal dart meant for her.  

The menacing _Oniwaban_ group that now looked vulnerable, scarred by the unexpected fall of their oldest member.  

And the glacial, distant _okashira_, whose proud, strong figure was now folded over Hannya in a bent line, with head bowed, whose slight tremble of the powerful clenched fists conveyed the smoldering blue ocean of emotion that burned intriguingly in his eyes, through which every broken, silent, weakened fiber of his being screamed out for help that he had never had to ask for before, much less beg…

            She could not go.  

She could not leave.  Hannya had saved her life; purposely, he had sped from safety to block the bullet from its target, and leaving would disgrace her more than she already was.  For that reason, as a descendant of a long line of doctors, she had to try to save his life.  

And, for some reason unknown, she could not resist that broken, piercing blue…

"Step back.  Let me see the wound."

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            I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story.  This was written for the Shrine of Fire and Ice's fanfiction contest, and it's not halfway done, but I decided to share it anyway.  I really need some encouragement because I'm at a block.  And an ochem test coming up.  

            Could someone please tell me how to adjust the random first-line tabbing of each paragraph?  All first lines are indented in Word, but they're all over the place when it gets uploaded in FF.net.  And how can I make it double-spaced when it's uploaded?  Ugh… 

Anyway, read and review please!

            ~Trupana 


	2. First Contact

She stepped forward, the light of the moon fully illuminating her ivory face, dark hair, the pale lavender tattered strips of kimono that wrapped around her slender form.  Elegantly composed even in the horror of her situation and her resigned fate, she gracefully dropped down to the ground and placed a hand on Hannya's forehead.  She ignored Beshimi's vitriolic hiss and the sudden tensing of the group's other two members as they recovered from their shock.  But she could not ignore the presence of the man on her left, whose intense blue gaze was now resting her.

"The dart pierced through his arm.  I think it may have chipped the bone; it definitely hit the artery.  I need some ice to slow down the poison.  We need to get him back.  Now!"  Her commanding tone of voice set the others back, but she was no longer aware of the terrifying _Oniwaban group; they were merely comrades of the patient, people who were to help her in her fight against time.  "He's burning up, his pupils are dilated, his pulse is weakening.  What type of poison works this fast?"  she whispered in alarm.  In all her years working with chemicals, she had never seen such a potent drug._

"It's the poison of the thornapple, and people weaker than Hannya would be killed by it in less than two hours," spat Beshimi, fingering his darts and sneering at the lady doctor, "It would have killed a wench like you in less than an hour.  If only Hannya hadn't gotten in the way…but this time, I won't miss." He approached her menacingly, as did the other two members of the _Oniwabanshu_, heaving up their respective weapons.  She looked on with narrowed eyes, not affected by the eminent threat, unwilling to give in.  

But before they could approach within striking range, they stopped cold in their tracks.  She felt the cool flat metal of two twin blades slide against the planes of her throat, barely grazing the graceful neck with its sharp edges.  She could feel the kodachis glide near her carotid arteries, gently stroking the delicate skin above them with its cool touch, and her pulse jumped, but not entirely out of fear.  She looked up to see a pair of midnight eyes stare right back into her own, and a mouth set in a hard line.  Her pulse hammered as the distance between their faces lessened and his breaths brushed against hers.  

"Takani, you will go back to Kanryuu's and find the antidote to the poison.  If you fail in this task," his hands were unwaveringly steady on the handles of the swords, "you will die along with him."  

His voice was monotone, emotionless, dead and promising death; the words were cold, heartless, so typical of the _Okashira_.  He had addressed her rudely, dismissively, without any proper suffixes or first name, mouth condensed so that the words were almost spat out.  He was all steel, unmoving, rigidly hard, not unlike the two kodachis held scissorlike around her slender throat.  He was once again every inch the dangerous and unfeeling _Okashira_ of the infamous and feared _Oniwabanshu_.  

His comrades, who had been previously shaken by Hannya's condition and by their usually controlled _okashira'_s helplessness, were reassured by the sudden return of the _okashira_'s glacial confidence and control.  They immediately readied themselves for return to Kanryuu's mansion, picking up Hannya's limp, unconscious form with unusual gentleness.  She did not miss the dark looks the three gave her as they stood up, Hannya supported in their interlocking arms; their eyes glinting hard with the grim thoughts on their minds, waiting for their _okashira to give them the order to leave.        _

His hand roughly grabbed the back of her already torn kimono and forcefully pulled her to her feet.  She stumbled a bit, wooden sandals catching onto the uneven ground, before steadying herself and rising with an exhausted grace to her trembling feet.  She could still feel one kodachi blade against her artery, the other kodachi's blunt handle prodding her none too gently in the middle of her back.  She winced; there would be bruise there tomorrow.

She took one glance back at her captor, who strode with hurried steps ahead of the rest of the _Oniwaban_, along the roughly hewed trail his crew had made during the chase_._  His steps were calculated, forcefully pounding the dirt into the ground with a powerful, unforgiving grace.  The black loose ninja suit he wore hung on his tall, lean frame, emphasizing his stiff coldness and his dangerous strength.  The black hair hung down in blue-black icicles in the silvery light, like sheets of black water obscuring his dark eyes from view.  She could see the muscles in his jaw clench and tighten as he took another surreptitious look back at his fallen uncle-figure, who lay on the arms of the others as though he were dead.  Then, unconsciously, his gaze drew back to her.  

Catching her eyes, he paused for the moment, surprised, unguarded eyes meeting her keen gaze.  For a moment, she felt the pain and sorrow overwhelming his ice blue aura.  There was something incredibly human about the wave of emotion she felt from the man in that instant.  The line between their eyes seem to take on a tangible aspect, burning between them, heating up the air around them, pulling them farther inwards towards the other…

The spell was broken by a short foul curse that echoed from the mouth of one of the _Oniwabanshu as they tripped over an unseen boulder_._  The mask fell over the __okashira once more, the eyes hardened, and the aura faded, leaving a hardened shell of a man who pushed her roughly forward again, so that she could not look back, and pressed the kodachis more forcibly onto her throat.          _

A tiny line of crimson appeared where the edges of the blades pressed too hard against the ivory skin, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out in fear.          

But despite the fear, she could not help but observe that now, he stood upright, without a hint of the hopeless slouch of before.  She could not help but see the firm calmness of the shoulders that no longer trembled in silent screams for help. 

She could not help but wonder at the faint, subtle night-blue hope in his eyes that she had seen when he had looked—in an almost gentle fashion—at her.

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            The chapters will get better, I promise!  And Eriesalia, I know I should be working on my OChem exam, but the muses won't let me think about anything but this story.  Heheh…ehhhhh.  Great, I'm going to fail my test.  But the good news, I should be able finish this in time for the Contest deadline.

            And if some of you are wondering why I haven't called the _okashira by name yet, that's because Megumi doesn't know his name yet.  She knows him as the __okashira, and that's all.  However, he knows her name; this is meant to show his control over her, since a name is a powerful thing to know.    _

            Thanks to all of my reviewers, I love you all.  Thanks especially to Mij, Eriesalia, and Dumdeedum for being faithful reviewers, and for reviewing almost all the fics I've produced thus far.  : D

            Keep reading, reviewing, and please add me to your Favorites list!  If you think I'm worth it, of course. ; )

            Love you, minna-san!

            ~Trupana


	3. More To You and Me

_Sorry for the lack of updates—I'll try to make that up! _

_Chapter 3_

She was unceremoniously pushed onto the stone floor of the basement, the place where she had been kept prisoner for years.  She stifled a quiet sob that had unconsciously emerged as she looked at the wretchedly familiar room; for a few seconds, she could not help but curse herself for not running when she had the chance.  She might have, could have, _would have been finally free from this horrifying prison, from Kanryuu, and from the _Oniwabanshu_.  But the sight of Hannya lying so vulnerably in the arms of the others, shaking like a brittle leaf, stopped the scream raging in her throat and the mist scorching her eyes.  _

As did the memory of the _okashira_'s intense eyes burning into hers…

The three remaining member—Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijou, she reminded herself, trying to calm down her uptight nerves and growing apprehension—indicated to the _okashira__ that they were going to bring Hannya to a better room upstairs.  She imagined it would be a spacious room, one with a fireplace, a warm bed, and that Western flooring that Kanryuu called carpet.  In other words, it would be much better room than the freezing, dank, decaying space that surrounded her now; one much better than any of the rooms she'd ever been in during her captivity to the depraved drug dealer…_

Her bitter scowl turned into a wide-eyed, fearful tremble.  Her tongue was suddenly parched, and she felt her body sway heavily on her feet as the blood rushed to her head.

No, she _had been in such a luxurious room before.  She did not care to remember the terrifying, disgusting thing had happened in that beautiful room, behind its heavy, soundproof gold doors…_

She gasped down air in hushed, sobbing gulps, trying to fight the growing waves of panic that were breaking over her.  It would not do to panic right now, when she needed her presence of mind the most.  She closed her eyes tightly, dug her fingernails deep into her damp palms, and bit the inside of her bottom lip.  Block out the sounds, she mentally coached herself, the light, the cold blade, the presence behind you.  Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe…

Slowly, she felt her pulse beat against less painfully against her ribs, her breathes escape less erratically.  A clear, though uneasy, calm rested over her mind.  The harsh lights and shadows cast on the wall by the torch's flames faded away.  The suffocating dank walls that had threatened to fall on her now disappeared from her senses; the shuffling of the _Oniwabanshu had trickled into the darkness.  Even the cold blade against her throat seemed to have melted into her skin, becoming a part of her.  But, try as she might, she could not get rid of the presence behind her.  His unnerving presence hung to her like fragrance that wouldn't wash away.  _

In the meditative darkness of her mind, she could feel him shift slightly, tilting his head downward to observe the lady doctor through his shield of black hair.  She could see his eyes cut quietly at her, narrow slightly as he took in her sudden stiffness.  In her mind's eye, she saw one lean hand reach slowly—possibly with…concern?—to gently touch her shoulder...abruptly, the hand jumped back as though it were struck, just before the fingers grazed the kimono fabric.  It withdrew back the owner's side, as though it were afraid of the contact.    

_Afraid?  Since when had the __okashira been afraid of anything?_

She could feel his powerful eyes bore into the back of her head, a smoky emotion swimming in his eyes.  Then his eyes flickered back to the _Oniwabanshu_ as they ascended the stairs.  She felt him start, reacting almost guiltily at the sight; the liquid steel eyes solidified into cold, condensed orbs, and the mask tangibly fell on his face again.  His voice iced over, becoming as hard as his eyes.

"Get what you need, and go upstairs.  Now."

"I can't possibly bring everything I need upstairs…" she began angrily, assertion fading when she saw his dark eyes narrow dangerously.  

"That is not my concern.  You know full well the consequences if you cannot do your job."  the _okashira stated coldly, turning away into the shadow of the stairs.  _

Her eyes flashed, her opened mouth about to spit back an angry insult.  She stopped herself, nails digging into her palm in barely restrained patience.  It was not the time to fight childishly, not when Hannya was dying and time was of the essence.  She clenched her jaw, straightened, and nodded stiffly.  

But where to begin?  Her built-up anger quickly changed into insecurity as she looked around her.  Though she meticulously organized her medicine inventory, she didn't know what she needed, and where in the inventory they were.  She didn't know how the thornapple poison acted, whether she had the knowledge and time needed to stop the poison, if there was even an antidote.  Her head throbbed and hot tears threatened to spill from her tired eyes.

Instead, she blinked her eyes hard, and started walking around the room, as though she knew what she was doing.  It would not do to draw the unsettling attention of the _okashira.  Wandering quickly around in the barely lit dark, her hand unconsciously reached for her well-worn notebook hidden in her obi.  She fingered its crisp edges.  It was a treasure chest of information about the poisons, plants, antidotes, and medicines that Takanis, past and present, had encountered over their centuries of medical practice.  She took it out and clutched it to her chest, its firm, tightly-bound pages and musty ink scent lending her the strength she needed.  _

Her dark wooden medicine chest came next.  She set it on the floor near the stairs, checking to make sure that all its shelves were generously stocked.  The touch of the smoothly worn wooden under her fingers sparked a memory, and a picture of her gentle, smiling father reaching to pull a bandage from the topmost shelf flickered in her mind. The thought brought tears to her eyes, but in that instance, her shoulders straightened, and her cool confidence in her abilities returned.  

The remembrance made her feel less alone.  

It was as though her father's presence guided her around the room, pointing to the bucket of ice that she would need to cool the raging fever; to the hidden, cracked leather case containing tiny glass vials of chemical and poison indicators; to the bitter powdered medicine she had recently discovered and prepared from an unknown plant she had gleaned in the woods.  All these and more, she found and set before the first step of the central staircase, in preparation for the arduous task of carrying them up winding central stairs.  

When she was finally finished, she tried her best to hoist all the equipment and medicine with her all at once.  Her slender arms strained to hold on to the large bulky items with moist, anxious hands; her weary fingers struggled to hold on to the smaller vials and tools.  Unsuccessful, she gritted her teeth and let the some of the items fall gently to the ground.  It took all her strength to hold on to the items.  She could barely move.  A frown slipped on her pale face; having to make multiple trips up and down the long stairs would waste valuable time.  But she had no other choice.  She had no help.  She had no one.  

Slowly, the nagging thoughts preyed on the confidence instilled in her by what she knew—what she _thought_—was her father's spirit.  Slowly, she started to tremble, and her eyelashes fluttered closed.  Her father's presence seemed to slip further and further away…in desperation and utter hopelessness, she dropped to her knees, weighed down by her physical and emotional cargo.  Her fingers loosened their grip around the items, which fell to the floor with a clash like thunder, and a strained whimper burst from her lips:

"_Father!__  Don't abandon me now…" _

She expected to feel the emptiness again, the coldness seeping into the air around her, and she cringed in expectation.  But instead, she felt a hand on her shoulder, an unusually warm hand with a weighted, firm touch, and a voice from deep within her memories whispered:

_"I promise you, Meg-chan, whenever you need me, no matter where I am or how I am, I'll be there to give you a hand."_

_"Pinky-swear, Daddy?"_

_A warm chuckle, then "Of course.  I promise.  Forever and ever…."_

Her pinky finger curled subconsciously around that of her memories, and then a deep voice, with a rich, comforting timbre that almost sounded of the real world, the present, told her, low and hesitatingly, "Take what you can.  Leave the rest here."  

It took her a while to realize that the voice had not been her father's.

It had been the voice of the _okashira_.

The _okashira__ would not meet her searching gaze, his own narrowed eyes peering off into the distant dark corner of the basement cell.  He stood, unyielding and dispassionate, and the only evidence that he had been the speaker was that his mouth had just closed, and his hand lay on her shoulder.  _

Her mind was swimming, and she did not fully comprehend the meaning of his words.  She just saw the okashira's long fingers touching the dirty fabric of her kimono.  Stuck in the confusion and prejudices of her mind, she desperately clutched the remaining medicine vial in her hand more tightly to her chest, and stammered, haltingly, "But—but..I need these items to cure H-Hannya…would you deny me these items so that I may fail?  Think of your friend—"

His hand stiffened on her shoulder, and he raised it, effectively silencing her thoughts.  His narrowed dark eyes bored straight into hers in response.  In that instant when his troubled eyes connected with hers, she suddenly understood the meaning entrenched deep inside the fathomless eyes, and she hid her understanding with a barely suppressed gasp.

_I will carry the rest upstairs._

It seemed to ring through the silent room, louder than a gunshot, and she recoiled in surprise.  Did she understand _correctly?  He—the leader of the __Oniwabanshu__ himself—would help her?  She quickly stood up, trying to avoid the powerful gaze of the __okashira, afraid of further contact with his eyes and his mind.  But her curiosity overtook her fear, and she could not help but glance strangely at the man.  Did he really have a—?  _

His eyes narrowed, and unexpectedly, he forcefully shoved her towards the items scattered on the floor.  She fell and landed on her knees before the items.  She glanced sideways out of her wet, burning eyes, shocked.  His whole demeanor was suddenly defensive and stiff, his eyes turned swiftly towards a blank wall, his voice straining to be coldly impassionate and threatening.  "What are you waiting for?"  he gritted through his teeth.

This time, he avoided her gaze.  

She could not understand the sudden mood change.  Hastily grabbing her medicine case and some smaller cases of chemicals, she hurried upstairs before he could change his mind, her wooden _geta__ clicking quickly on the cold marble of the stairs.  From behind, she felt him relax, shift, and turn his eyes to look at her once more.    _

As she fled up the stairs, she bit her lip in hopes of clearing her bewildered mind.          

_What just happened?_

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            Well, how'd you like it?  It was ready a long time ago, but I had to rework it.  I'm just glad it's out.  

            I promise I'll have the rest of the story out before March.  Besides, I have to return "Poisoning by Drugs and Chemicals" back to the library really really soon.  ; )

**Dumdeedum**:  Thanks!  I try to make each chapter better than the one before…keyword:  try.  I'm glad that they're all in character.  Feel free to correct me if I go a little off track!

**Kelly:  Thanks for the review.  I'm really intrigued by the pasts of the RK characters, particularly Megumi and Aoshi, since they're so mysterious.  Hope you continue to enjoy the fic!**

**Eriesalia**:  Thanks for all your reviews as well as your on-the-side encouraging e-mails!  Yeah I know.  I'm going to fail!  The horror!  The horror!  I have a plan though; we fail school, start a website that promotes fanfics and fanpics of Rurouni Kenshin (especially Megumi and Aoshi!) and make loads of money off that and become multi-million—no, multibillionaires!  Oh wait.  It's called ff.net.  Dang.   I think I meant 'resting on', but arresting would be a great choice too.  Even better, in fact.  Well, I hope you liked this chapter.  And yes, I studied and took a physics test before I wrote this. :)

**Cherie Dee:  You don't know how honored I am that you reviewed my fic.  It means a lot to me that the seasoned veteran who inspired me to write Megumi/Aoshi took time out to write a review.  Does this sound like sucking up?  In a way, yes.  Please keep on writing your fics!  I'm languishing from lack of new Realizations chapters.  Thanks!**

**Mij**:  heya!  Thanks for reviewing so faithfully!  And thanks for the pics and inspirations!  By the way, "Icicle Lovin'" will be officially coming out sometime soon.  Hope you like it!  I've added some of your suggestions.  And yes, as a future doctor and current pre-med student, I do know that arteries aren't exposed ; )…I meant to emphasize the beating of her heart and the delicate flow of her lifeblood under the sharp blades…hehe, guess I missed on that one.  Buuuut, thanks for the suggestion!  Thanks again!

**Kongykun**:  Awww, thanks for the good lucks!  And as for why Hannya saved Megumi, it's because he respected her and cared for her like a daughter, kind of like the way he took care of Misao.  But also, Megumi and Hannya are on the same side:  anti-Kanryuu.  Crazed drug-dealers can do that to you.  Hopefully, I can develop the Megumi-Hannya relationship in later chapters.  Thanks for the review, and hope you're still reading!  (hehe, lonnnnng breaks between updates…)

**Shimizu**** Hitomi:  my fellow on-sabatical Megumi/Aoshi-er!  Thanks so much for your reviews.  I get great inspiration from your fics.  As for the infamous two kodachis:  I thought over the whole thing before I wrote, and decided to give Aoshi two kodachis for a certain reason.  This elusive reason will become more apparent at the end…soooo, you'll have to wait!  ;)  I'm glad you like the fic ideas.  Let's just say that the Pride and Prejudice fic, Icicle Lovin', and Her Touch should be coming out soon!  And please, have a nice sabbatical from RK, but come back soon!**

**EEevee**:  my muse of comedy!  I'm very happy with the last two chapters of "Drifter".  Keep it up!  And yes, Aoshi is obsessed with power, partially because he is completely under Kanryuu's control at the moment, and he's trying to retain all the dignity (which he equates with power) that he can.  It's also because he is the _okashira_, and like you said, at such a young age, and his side of the war lost.  At least, that's what I think.  O_O;;;  Hehe, it could be wrong…I hope you do write a fic about Megumi and Aoshi's past.  I'm glad other people are intrigued by their past.  

**Gabriela-chan:  Awww, thank you!  I hope I do convert you!  It's a very interesting, fascinating coupling.  I'm glad you enjoy my story so much, and hope you keep reading.  I try to write well; please tell me if I'm failing you in any way.  **

**BarbaraSheridan**:  Thanks for your review.  I love your Aoshi/Megumi story, and I love the twists and turn and the ending.  Please write an epilogue?  Please?

**Queen Ali B:  Ah, a reviewer from my Yu-Gi-Oh days!  In fact, your encouragement has renewed my interest in my Yu-Gi-Oh fics…I might update just for you!  Thanks for putting me on your favorites list.  I'm very honored.  And thank you so much; your compliments are almost too much! Almost ; )**

**Heaven-Dragon:  It's amazing that you found this fic hidden under so many new ones!  Thanks to you, I'm updating.  Hope you liked this chapter!**

That's all for now.  Until we meet again,

~Tru


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